Last Updated on June 16, 2022 by Ellen
Slow Travel. On a budget.
Earth Vagabonds are currently in Malaysia.
This is an independent travel site.
We do not work with sponsors or affiliates.
Ads are automatic and offset costs.
So you want to slow travel the world on a budget. You’ve come to the right place!
We Earth Vagabonds – Ellen and Theo – have traveled the world in early retirement since 2015. Read more about how we got here on the “About” page.
To make the most of this site, you will find links to key “How to” posts at the bottom of every page.
To get a sense of what international travel is like in the COVID era at our current location, please enjoy our most recent blog posts below.
With many years of experience, we enjoy sharing what we learn.
Live the Dream. Life is Now.
Latest Earth Vagabonds blog posts
Travel without medical insurance: Cost examples
Excellent doctor visits in Malaysia at affordable prices.
Continue Reading Travel without medical insurance: Cost examples
Expat health care while traveling without insurance
See a foreign itemized hospital bill.
Continue Reading Expat health care while traveling without insurance
Cost of living in Thailand for expats on a budget
When you see how affordable this is, you’ll pack your bags!
Continue Reading Cost of living in Thailand for expats on a budget
Airbnb host problem and support chat
“Be assured, what I say comes from a ‘little guy’ on the front lines of the new travel landscape…”
How to enter Malaysia from Thailand over land in 2022
We were among the first Americans to enter this way.
Continue Reading How to enter Malaysia from Thailand over land in 2022
Slow travel itinerary planning on a budget
Money savers on long-term travel costs.





Earth Vagabonds greatest hits
Meet the Earth Vagabonds
Hello! We are Ellen and Theo.
We slow travel on a budget in early retirement.
We’ve done it since 2015!
We show you how to do this on this website.
We give detailed information about our budget – and also about our spending. That’s the trick to this all — the spending.
Only you can control your spending and stick to your budget.
We lead you by example on how to do that – with tips and tricks along the way.
Theo likes to say a travel lifestyle can be “endless — if you spend less.”
We live our travel experience as a lifestyle, not a vacation.
How’d we get here? How can you get here?
Earth Vagabonds recommend you explore this site, starting on the ‘About’ page.
For the full, longer story about exactly how we came to retire early and travel the world, we now have that personal information posted.






Pandemic travel planning
We constantly re-evaluate travel plans for the future.
We have a few helpful resources for the truly intrepid traveler. (And our blog updates cover the latest developments on Boracay Island.)
Continuous slow travel
We live this lifestyle because we stay on budget. (Mostly.) Remember: the key to managing your money is to control your spending.
We offer lots of information on this site on how to save money and stretch money on a nonstop travel adventure.
We also reveal our expenses in monthly reports.
Breast cancer
Ellen’s breast cancer diagnosis and double mastectomy in a foreign country was a difficult challenge.
But she made it!
Global citizens
We Earth Vagabonds enjoy helping people on our travels.
Whether it’s the Ati indigenous tribe in the Philippines, or refugees from the Middle East and Africa, or garbage pickers in Mexico — we believe everyone deserves respect, regardless of life circumstance, and we give back when we can.
We also are big believers in Kiva.org. (Hat tip to Theo’s mom Diane for introducing us to Kiva!)
Need more help? More inspiration?
Visit the longer “Our story” page. We share personal histories and information here.
Join the Earth Vagabonds Facebook group.
This is a closed group for people who want an authentic budget slow travel lifestyle.
Thousands of people in our group are retired, thousands more are working to get there.
If we don’t have an answer to your question, one of our members might!
Follow the Earth Vagabonds Facebook page.
Sometimes we post unique things to our page, such as special tips or short video clips.
Get the Earth Vagabonds newsletter.
We share useful travel information, with an emphasis on what it’s like to travel in the COVID era.
We won’t share your information (privacy policy here), and we won’t send you anything other than the newsletter.
Thanks for checking out Earth Vagabonds.
We hope to inspire you to ‘live the dream’ because life is short and that’s why we travel now.
Our philosophy: Life is Now!
